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Post by Phalon on Dec 15, 2012 6:59:40 GMT -6
We keep thinking the same thing here. On our hike yesterday, no hats, no gloves, and half-way through, no coats. December this year is just like the odd December of last year - no snow. No winter.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 15, 2012 17:38:33 GMT -6
Lets hope that changes in the new year. As much as I hate the cold, I know it has a purpose. I really don't want all the bugs that the cold weather wasn't here to kill. Two years in a roll, and those bugs will no doubt be a nightmare! One thing I'm glad of, is that I've got the 'shutters' on the front of the house taken down. You wouldn't believe how many wasps nests were behind them. Plus, I don't understand the need for fake shutters, when their only purpose is decoration. I'd rather have real shutters, that I can shut when the wind is blowing like a banshee, shooting hail stones into the window panes. They have a purpose, so why are they no longer put to real use?
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Post by stepper on Dec 15, 2012 21:51:48 GMT -6
Well, I finally finished wrapping stuff that has to be mailed out. And in the process we found a present that missed the box for Afghanistan. Looks like there's going to be another box going out even if it's late. But the mistake aside, all but two boxes have already been mailed out and what's left is ready to go. I still have to wrap up the stuff staying in the area, but there really isn't all that much left to do.
Winter comes Friday, and our next opportunity for cool weather is right behind it - just in time for Christmas.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 16, 2012 8:35:42 GMT -6
Shoot, I have to, have to get the stuff boxed ready to be mailed, and actually get it mailed tomorrow. This includes cards, some of which I made over a month ago - I haven't even sent one yet.
I did get most of the shopping done; only a few things left to get. Some of them are wrapped, but with the girls around, the majority are still in bags in the basement...which Hubs cleaned yesterday, so I'm hoping I can find the bags in the basement.
Kind of a neat thing yesterday. I put up Mom's "tree". The last time my brothers and I were together before we found out Mike had cancer, we all went through Mom's Christmas stuff, and they decided I should be "the keeper of the ornaments", some of which were her parents' or maybe grandparents' from Austria/Hungary. Others are Mom and Dad's from I'm guessing the 50s and early 60s. They're all very fragile, and I kept them separate from the ornaments we put on the big tree.
Mom's "tree" I decided would go on the dining room table, and I made it by taking an old 3 gallon crock she had, and filling it with redtwig dogwood branches...enough to make the whole thing end up being about 3 feet tall x 3 feet wide. As I was constructing the thing, dragging huge branches in the kitchen from outside, and pruning them to size in the middle of the kitchen floor, BP's friends thought the whole idea was a bit odd. BP shrugged and explained to them, with that preteen look of "yeah, my Mom's weird just like yours", that our kitchen was often filled with tree branches (it was where I made all the greenery arrangements, and at times had probably what amounted to an entire 6 foot evergreen tree strewn across the kitchen floor).
So, I got the dogwood "tree" onto the dining room table, and started hanging the ornaments. LX comes down the stairs, and sits on the bottom step, watching me. "You know, Mom....", she starts, and I'm expecting some kind of sarcasm to follow.
"....most people go out and buy pretty decorations. But no, not you. You drag all this naturey stuff into the house..." I'm sure the sarcasm is coming now; she's going through a rough time, and her mood is up and down lately.
Then she surprises me. "....and you make it look beautiful." She helped me finish hanging the ornaments. It was a nice moment.
And when BP and her friends got back from the ice rink, they agreed - the "tree" is beautiful.
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Post by stepper on Dec 16, 2012 11:06:12 GMT -6
There's that artistic thing coming out again! And what a nice way to remember your mom too. On top of that, it seems that LX has been learning from her mom even if she (perhaps) didn't get all the messages. Here, have a little something that I found in the rosebed yesterday. Tea Rose Dec 12  This is what actually started it. I was going to share this because it's December and it's coming up now instead of spring. I didn't pull it - down here these things are rare.  Fortunately, the dandelion wasn't the only thing growing. This is another butterfly plant.  And as long as I was taking pictures, I took these too. They aren't supposed to be doing this now. It's supposed to be cold and they're supposed to be hibernating - but the bug killing cold has abandoned us, as have the bug eating free tail bats - the McAllen cave has nothing in it now but guano. I suspect our Aussie friend could show us all kinds of newly bloomed flora and fauna, but this is what I have to share.   |
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 16, 2012 20:01:53 GMT -6
Mom said her Easter flowers are coming up. Yikes! I wonder if they'll come up in Spring if they come out now?
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Post by Phalon on Dec 17, 2012 7:22:38 GMT -6
Pretty, pretty, pretty, Stepper. Thanks for sharing, sharing, sharing.
Yes, yes, I know I'm repeating myself - a line from a children's book called "The Halloween Parade" that I used to read the girls over and over and over (first LX, and then BP years later - it was a favorite for both of them) is stuck in my head this morning.
"A lot to do, a lot to do. A lot, a lot, a lot to do."
Damn. I'd better get busy.
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Post by stepper on Dec 17, 2012 16:11:05 GMT -6
Welcome welcome welcome!!!
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Post by Phalon on Dec 20, 2012 7:35:31 GMT -6
Dang! I had it all done; the mailing of packages, the shopping, wrapping; shoot I even cleaned the house...and we don't even have company coming!
I love coming home to a clean house.
We were supposed to spend Christmas with my brother in Mom's house; his ex-wife and the kids are coming in for two weeks from Kentucky, and were supposed to arrive today.
He called last night. He and his crew have been called into Chicago for storm-work in anticipation of the city or parts of it losing power. His kids are crushed, and I have to say I'm more than a little bummed. With Mike gone this year, it was important to everyone for us all to be together.
On the bright side, if the storm does hit as predicted, he's going to make someone's Christmas merry and bright. He says that's what he likes about storm work - the looks on the faces of the people after their electricity is restored. Last time he got called in after a storm, one woman gave him bags and bags of Halloween candy and called him a "hero". "All in a day's work, Ma'am."
I wonder if he ever wanted to be a fireman as a kid.
I guess I can now do the one thing I didn't finish...haven't even started, actually: Christmas cards.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 20, 2012 16:16:24 GMT -6
 Here's hoping the storm dissipates and he gets to come home.
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Post by stepper on Dec 20, 2012 18:12:04 GMT -6
What she said...and what about New Years? I wouldn't want your bro to miss out on extra $$, but here's to hoping it's not so bad that you can't get together for at least a few days.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 23, 2012 8:35:20 GMT -6
Here, it wasn't quite the storm that wasn't - it was definitely a storm, but it wasn't a snow storm. The wind blew, and snow flew, but it flew elsewhere. It was kind of strange, actually - not a flake of snow was on the ground here, but vehicles coming into town were covered in it.
The wind though, was killer. Oh, my gosh - the wind here blows constantly, but I can't remember it ever being so windy as it was Thursday night and Friday. Trees and limbs were down everywhere; Christmas decorations on houses left in tatters; the tree and electrical crews definitely got in some overtime. One of the Chinese restaurants' big lighted sign blew right off its concrete moorings. Thankfully, the only damage we suffered was to the front porch decorations, and a few shingles blew off the roof. One of those children's plastic pools ended up in our back yard, and we can't figure out where it came from or how it got there. It would have had to fly over the neighbor's privacy fence, our garage and our shed to end up where it did. I imagine it looked like a flying saucer flying in from where ever it came from before it landed; too bad we didn't see it coming in - we could have taken "alien space craft" photos for the National Enquirer. We drove down to the Lake just to watch, and white caps were as far out as we could see.
Chicago didn't get hit as hard as expected either, but my brother and crew did end up doing some work there from wind damage. He'll be home today; his ex-wife and kids are driving in to meet him, so they'll all get to spend Christmas together. Hopefully, Hubs can get some time off work, and we'll be able to go over later this week.
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Post by stepper on Dec 23, 2012 9:38:39 GMT -6
We had a couple of days of cold - which were preceded by a week of temps in the 80s. Now we're getting 'seasonal' temps meaning 40s at night 60s during the day. Our next big event is a chance of scattered showers Christmas Day. Perfect. Let's get a bunch of excited kids - loud new toys, and put them in a position where they can't go outside with that new gar-dinker to expend that childhood energy.
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Post by Siren on Dec 24, 2012 0:43:49 GMT -6
We have a chance of snow and ice on Christmas night. That would be exciting and beautiful. But most of all, it would mean precipitation, which we need so badly. I'll take a white Christmas anytime.
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Post by stepper on Dec 24, 2012 8:15:01 GMT -6
The weather guessers reduced our chances of rain - and now it's down to drizzle. We really need some serious rain.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 27, 2012 5:25:02 GMT -6
We didn't get a white Christmas, but it snowed yesterday. Not a lot - just enough to leave the grass poking through where it is longish; just enough to entice the dog to flop on her back and roll around, making weird canine renditions of snow angels.
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Post by Siren on Dec 27, 2012 22:17:36 GMT -6
We got snow! On Christmas Day! If I sound excited, you should have seen my niece. She went from 17 to 7 in about 4 seconds. Was a great thing to see. But that was just part of an excellent Christmas. I hope yours was the same.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 31, 2012 7:30:54 GMT -6
We had snow for Christmas too - the belated Christmas we spent with my brother, (ex) sis-in-law, and kids this past weekend. Unusual for that side of the state to have more snow than we do, and dang, it was pretty. Wonderful to see everyone again, but the weekend flew by way too quickly.
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Post by katina2nd on Dec 31, 2012 20:52:48 GMT -6
Not sure where to post this so here will do I guess. 2013 has begun well, nice mild day, gentle breeze and a temperature around the seventy five mark, would order this up 365 days of the year if I could, but according to the forecast there's some serious heat on the way.  Anyway I'll see you all here when you finally catch up. |
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Post by Phalon on Jan 1, 2013 9:50:58 GMT -6
Sounds like a wonderful start to the new year, Katina! Wafting flurries here this morning, and temperatures in the 20s. While your mild 75 degree temperatures with a gentle breeze sounds incredibly inviting, I'll take the flurries at 20; it's normal for this time of year here, and it's about time we got back to some normalcy!!!
Cheers, and wishes for a great upcoming year to everyone!
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Post by Siren on Jan 1, 2013 23:11:39 GMT -6
Sounds like a wonderful start to the new year, Katina! Wafting flurries here this morning, and temperatures in the 20s. While your mild 75 degree temperatures with a gentle breeze sounds incredibly inviting, I'll take the flurries at 20; it's normal for this time of year here, and it's about time we got back to some normalcy!!! Cheers, and wishes for a great upcoming year to everyone! Amen to all the above. We are finally having wintry weather, too - snow flurries for a couple of days last week, cold winds with drizzle. All just as it should be. We are so grateful. Here's to a peaceful, healthy year for all of you, my friends. |
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Post by Phalon on Jan 2, 2013 6:35:58 GMT -6
We're grateful for the cold too, Siren...although it's not supposed to last. Cold all this week, then back up in the 40s next week. It's crazy - the ground isn't frozen, and we've really had no measurable snowfall (someone told me the other day we are more than 20 inches under our average for this time of year). It's January! Bring on the winter, already!
Kind of a cool thing, though...I've been watching a pair of red-headed woodpeckers at the feeders for the last couple of days. Downy or hairy woodpeckers (I can never tell the difference unless they're side-by-side - the hairys are a bit bigger) are frequent visitors to the yard, but the red-headed ones are new. No matter how common the bird, I always get excited when they make their first appearance in the yard.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 9, 2013 5:19:59 GMT -6
We had a little bit of snow this weekend, that quickly changed over to drizzly rain. At least we got some much needed moisture out of the deal, though not a lot.
Monday night's moon was beautiful; my favorite kind of moon next to a full one - just the tiniest bright white sliver, laying on its side. There's a romantically magical quality to a moon like that, I think. I was just out with the dog, and though there's a sky full of stars, I can't find the moon. I even walked around the yard, thinking it might be hiding behind the house. I always thought it was a poetic term, but is there really such thing as a moonless night?
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Post by Phalon on Jan 9, 2013 6:00:27 GMT -6
Nope - there it is, slung low in the sky where it wasn't before, and even thinner than it was the other night.
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Post by stepper on Jan 11, 2013 0:08:03 GMT -6
No snow - but we finally got some rain. October to January we got almost 1" of rain - yesterday we got 2.5"! El Paso had snow...if it wasn't so far away I'd have gone to check it out.
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Post by Siren on Jan 11, 2013 8:10:59 GMT -6
No matter how common the bird, I always get excited when they make their first appearance in the yard. I agree, Gams. It's a privilege, or more like a gift, when the birds return to my lawn. Kind of scared me, reading about the strange lack of winter you are having. I am not really a worrier by nature. But I am worried that we may never see proper winters again. Whether you believe in global warming or not, you have to admit that things are different than they used to be. In my mother's childhood, you could preserve meat in a smokehouse in the wintertime; it's far too warm for that here now. And our precipitation levels seem to continue to drop every year. Communities statewide are worried about running out of water, as lakes and aquifers dry up. I honestly worry that all of Oklahoma will become as arid as the panhandle of the state. |
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 11, 2013 16:57:35 GMT -6
Things happen in cycles, perhaps it's time for the 'dust bowl' to show up again. Then we'll cycle around to something else. Although, the bad weather conditions are ones I'd just as soon skip past.
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Post by stepper on Jan 12, 2013 1:13:03 GMT -6
It feels like we are headed that way Joxee, but in Europe they're having an extreme winter. I read that they have the most snow coverage, in terms of area, ever recorded.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 12, 2013 16:37:40 GMT -6
I hear stories about the North Pole melting, but very few talk about the South Pole getting bigger. I wondered if maybe there was a volcano beneath the NP heating up, so I Googled a year or so ago and found there were two volcanoes up near the NP. One erupted in Iceland, I believe. I don't think we're having global warming. I think it's just a cycle that happens way far apart, and it will end and it will be something else for us to worry about.
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Post by stepper on Jan 12, 2013 17:33:44 GMT -6
Oh, I believe we are experiencing global warming. The dispute should be about the cause. My own experiences tell me it's warmer, but in contrast to Al Gore - inventor of the internet - I believe were are enduring the cyclical nature of our world.
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